gobble gobble.

we've had such a fun week & a fantastic thanksgiving.

my sister and her family have come to stay with us, and my kids are in some serious heaven.  cousin time galore, laughter, meltdowns, movies, games, staying up too late causing more meltdowns, tons and tons of games, and the fun is still going.  it makes me realize just how much i've missed them.

we made our first ever real turkey for thanksgiving and i have to say it turned out simply spectacular.  we brined it overnight, syringed it full of rosemary garlic butter, then stuffed it with apples, celery and onions.  

some of the males in our group just wanted me to take a picture of it while it was still in its nasty bag and roasting pan~~what?!?  our first turkey?!?  blasphemy.  

i poured cranberries in the bottom of a much nicer-looking ceramic platter and then snapped a picture.  looking at it now, it's a little disturbing to me for some reason.  i won't go into details of what this picture is reminding me of, except to use one word:  

childbirth.  

but anyway, at the time the turkey looked nice.

my sister's husband brett was a trooper and took out the innerds for me because the thought made me dry heave.  

cue the heave:

he also did the turkey massage with rosemary garlic butter.  and then he stuffed it.  oh who am i kidding, brett pretty much prepared the whole thing.  and then carved it too.

between helping out with the kids, and then contracting some sort of strange infection in my knee, i had to direct him from a chair.  but i will pat myself on the back and say i am awesome at reading a recipe and telling someone else how to do things!  

more pictures from the day:

pre-dinner nap time.

pre-dinner reading time.

carbs!!

the peeps:

i love love love my sister.

and after dinner. 

this picture pretty much described the feeling in my belly {happiness!}:

thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays for the mere fact that i really slow down and take time to look at my blessings.  life is not perfect, but it's never going to be.  i'm not trying to be pessimistic, that is me accepting things for where they are and being grateful for who i am, right now.  not beating myself up for needing to be more, do better.  just accepting, and loving my life right now, as it is.

i look at where we were a year ago, and where we are today and i can see how many things have fallen into place, how God is aware of my little family, how continually pushing ourselves to do hard things and come through on the other side always leads to happiness.

i'm thankful for blessings, i'm thankful for trials, i'm thankful for health, for love, for marriage, for calm babies and happy children, for family and friends, for God, for sacrifice, for mercy, for forgiveness, for my Savior, for this life.

i am thankful.